


Kylem's Fans

by ripplegrin



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: a cute gobbo, good gobbo child, kylem, our story now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 05:06:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17718626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ripplegrin/pseuds/ripplegrin
Summary: A young goblin fan of gorm wants to buy some confetti to make sure that her favorite person wins the fight!





	Kylem's Fans

      The roaring and ringing of the crowd deafened the announcements for the latest matches of the day. Swarms of goblins rang their chimes in a bittersweet cacophony that caught the ears of every stall vendor, whether they wanted to or not. Taller races walked through the gates behind them and began to loiter around several of the stalls. Each possible customer had hair dyed as close to their favorite competitors’. Rainbow hues and the noise made the area seem like a leprechaun’s fever dream. Every day in Valor’s Reach was a massive payday for the stall owners.

      Each merchant’s popularity differed based on what races came around or what competitors were fighting. The dragon rider got more sparklers, the homunculi brought along more purchases of horns and the twins brought along a ton of purchases for blond dye. Food was popular all the time. A meal and a show was almost as good as the finale of the games. A few azra, even, had stalls that focused on ‘good luck charms’. Most were fake but every now and again, people swore their favorites won due to them. Noisemakers were also popular, mostly among the ones who were already creating a massive racket. The most popular for the goblins, outside of that, were the confetti stands.

     Goblins were surprisingly the races who bought the most merchandise for the tournaments. Be it replica suits of armor, rotten food for those that were terrible or confetti as colorful as the array of dyes sold. Goblins love- live for the championship. Between the azra and them, the remaining merchants are hardly a handful. Although they weren’t fussy, many goblins loved to get their throw-able paper from an azra merchant known by the name Aures.

     Aures’s confetti was cheaper, brighter and most importantly more flammable than the rest. Trade secret, he says. Even though the wardens would never allow it, you never know when a bit of flashy paper that go up in a second might secure a match. Every goblin that ran about stopped at Aures’ stall, brought a handful then returned to the pregame chaos. Each coin that entered his coffer made his smirk grow wider until a strange goblin stepped up and could only muster a single coin.

      She was half the size of an adult goblin which made Aures guess she was a kid. The makeshift wood and leather costume she was wearing somewhat resembled Gorm’s, if Gorm the giant was a miniscule goblin with only five coins to his name. It was made with heart, clearly. Even had a drawing of one on the breastplate of it. Her eyes were massive, smile reaching across her face and ears pointed straight to the sky, as she cupped her hands for the purchase.

     “I’d like a handful, sir! Mister Gorm is gonna be there today and I gots to make sure he wins!” Her ears flapped as Aures looked at the measly coin she could produce. He looked down and scoffed at the lack of a coin purse on her. He did at least humor her by thumbing through the coins for what felt like hours to the young goblin. Although the pre-competition noises were deafening, she clearly heard him speak.

     “I’m terribly afraid this isn’t enough for a finger’s worth, let alone a handful.” He returned the coins to her awaiting hands. Her ears already began to wilt as she felt the weight of something much heavier than she was expecting. She clenched the coin in her hand and shook her head a few times as the merchant chatted with other customers. She slammed the coins back on his stall and pleaded as tears started to well up. She cleared her throat, almost choking, before she spoke.

     “Mister! Please! Gorm has to win today! I need as much confetti as I can get! I’m using all of my allowance and everything!” Her ears and lips were quivering and one customer finished their transaction before Aures had to excuse himself. His hand came to his brow, wiping away non-existent sweat, followed by a long sigh. Tears were bad for business but he’d be at a major loss if he had to give her enough to look decent in this crowd. His hand dragged down his face. Every second spent on her was another loss to other sales. A new lanky azra customer was already lining up behind her. He clenched his fist, covering his mouth with it, and weighed his options like coins. He gave her his best customer service smile to start.

      “Miss, I’m terribly sorry but my hands are tied. I have a limited supply for today and as much as I would love to give you a fair sum of my wares, I must get food on my table. Maybe you can come back the next time you get your allowance? I’m sure you can purchase much more than you were expecting with time!” Each word came with no hesitation. At least one of the regulars swore they heard it before. He lightly placed the coin in her hand and slowly closed her fist around it. He crouched to her eye level, gave his best customer smile again and returned to his side of the stall. It took her a few moments to realize she had the coin back. She brought it to her chest and took a few long breaths. The azra that was standing behind her crouched to her level and seemingly soothed her. Well, that’s what it seemed to the other people in the thoroughfare, Aures was already hawking wares and past the entire meeting already.

     A lanky azra came to the stand next. Dark, minimal leather clothing and a hood with a hint of gold on the tips of his horns. Aures wanted to pry but bit his tongue at something that would cost him a sale. He wasted enough time already today. The customer looked back at the goblin before finally speaking.

     “ ’Scuse me. My buddy, Gorm, there forget their wallet so I’m gonna pay if that’s all right. we all need a good teammate sometimes.” The azra pointed a thumb back to the goblin that Aures was speaking to previously and the voice sounded familiar but Aures couldn’t place it. He gave a quick glance at the girl, who seemed to be frozen in place, before returning his vision to his customer, holding out his hand. It took a few seconds before a massive coin purse caused his hand to crash into his stall. A smile befitting an arch demon was on the customer’s face while a pained one was on Aures’s. It seemed a bit too convenient really.

     “I suppose I can do that but just to make sure, you are friends with her right? I’m fine with good deeds but I want to make sure she’s going to be safe.” There were enough guards, people, and judges to make sure nothing bad happened but it’s always better to be safe. A creeping sensation was nibbling away in Aures’s mind about this person. The azra mulled the question for a bit before laughing and tossing his hood back. A few people gasped and the goblin girl was searching for something for him to write on.

     The black clothing, the chain and sickle on his hip and the grey mohawk were perfect replications of Virtus, the Veiled. It wasn’t a replication. It was Virtus! The goblin’s hands were trembling as she pulled out a small piece of parchment for him. He signed it, along with a few other pieces nearby fans brought, before turning back to the flabbergasted merchant.

     “So, can my buddy Gorm here have some confetti?” He winked as he held out a hand to Aures. It took a few moments for Aures to realize this wasn’t a fantasy and he quickly scrambled to give the fighter a massive bag of confetti. Far more than his gold would get. This event would spur a rumor of this stall being Virtus’s favorite in the arena.

* * *

 

     The crowd’s roars grew louder with each moment. The two pairs split apart and were fighting with half their normal strength. Virtus dragged the dragon rider to the ground and was keeping her busy with acrobatics, swift blows and being a general nuisance. Gorm was left with the dragon. The scent of burnt leather and armor spoke to how it was going. A claw came down on Gorm’s shoulder, the beast’s weight bringing him to his knees. The roaring in his face, along with the saliva that came with it, didn’t help either. The pain and attrition was showing in its face.

     “GORM!!!” A scream from across the arena caught his attention. A small goblin girl, with tears in her eyes and wearing something that resembled his armor, grabbed a big handful of confetti then tossed it into the arena. “YOU CAN DO IT!”

     Gorm couldn’t help the smile he got from that and felt a new rush of energy through him. He pushed off the clawed foot of the dragon and brought his second arm to its throat. With a shattering battle cry of his name, he flipped the dragon over his shoulder and brought a thumb downward at it. The crowd met the roar with their own cacophony and the judges called the round. A victory for the duo and a fan that kept them going.


End file.
